Ahead of September launch, the best look yet at the Apple iPhone 6

With around 20 days to go before Apple unveils its next iPhone iteration allegedly named the iPhone 6, we have got the clearest look so far of the new device.

Apple products customiser Feld & Volk put together the iPhone 6 using parts and components and the completely assembled device looks absolutely stunning, and in line with leaks so far.

Image: Feld & Volk

The resulting iPhone 6 looks like the current generation of iPads, thanks to its rounded corners and edges. The image also shows iPad-like volume buttons and completely redesigned speaker holes at the bottom. The report also reveals a close-up of the display that looks like a 4.7-inch model, but it’s not been turned on.

Image: Feld & Volk

Another report which emerged earlier spoke about the expected display resolution for the iPhone 6′s two variants. 9to5mac got their hands on some code that suggests Apple’s new 4.7 and 5.5-inch models will have displays of 1472×878 pixel resolution. The report goes on to say that Apple will stick to the 16:9 aspect ratio for the new iPhones considering that most developers would find this most convenient in spite of the resolution upgrade. At that resolution, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 will have a pixel density of 359 PPI, which fits into the Retina class that Apple has been marketing since the iPhone 4. Interestingly, the 5.5-inch version will not fit this Retina class, though at 307.07 PPI its pixel density is also above the 300 mark that Apple co-founder Steve Jobs had emphasised upon when introducing the iPhone 4.

Apple’s big media event is likely to slated for September 9 and set to be the biggest change in Apple’s smartphone strategy. The new features could end up boosting overall sales of the iPhone this holiday season.

Facebook tops usage numbers, but many US smartphone owners don’t even download apps

There may be a growing number of apps for smartphones, but people in the US tend to cling to the few they like and shun the rest, an industry tracker says.

Nearly two-thirds of US smartphone owners download no apps monthly, comScore said in its Mobile App Report. Further, the report stated that nearly half of all app — mini-programmes — downloads were done by just 7% of smartphone owners in any given month.

Fun, functional or hip apps for smartphones or tablets are seen by analysts as key to the popularity of the devices, and rivals such as Apple, Google and Microsoft work hard to get developers to tailor apps to devices powered by their software.

App Store boasts billions of titles available for users of devices powered by the California company’s software.

While more than half of US smartphone owners accessed apps on their gadgets daily, ‘a staggering’ 42% of time was spent in just their favorite app, according to comScore.

“Americans have a difficult time living without their mobile devices, as evidenced by the vast majority of consumers using apps on their smartphones and tablets nearly every day,” comScore said in the report.

However, nearly three of every four minutes spent using apps was in any of four preferred mini-programs.

According to the report, social networking, entertainment and messaging accounted for much of the time spent using mobile apps in the United States. And further, internet titans Facebook, Google, Apple, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay accounted for nine of the top-10 most used apps. Facebook in fact, has been stated as the top application in terms of audience size and share of time spent by smartphone users.

It has also been observed in the study that people using iPhones spend large shares of their ‘app time’ on general news, radio, photos, social networking, and weather. And those opting for Android-powered devices devoted a greater share of their time to online search and email.

The annual income of a median iPhone app user was $85,000, compared to $61,000 made in a year by a median Android user, comScore reported.